I don’t know why so many people eat like there is no tomorrow. Food is meant to give us fuel and enjoyment and not diseases and illnesses.

For anyone struggling with their weight, I will repeat what I keep telling my patients: it’s a balance between intake and output. If you’re exercising every day and you still cannot lose weight, it means you’re still eating too much and if all what you eat is a slice of bread a day then you need to start eating half a slice! Yes it may be hard to believe but it is that simple.

Obesity is an expanding public health problem worldwide, creating a global health epidemic. According to the World Health Organization, worldwide obesity has doubled since 1980.

In the United States, 34 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 years and over are overweight, 34 percent are obese, and 6 percent are extremely obese. Wake up people, almost three quarters of our population is overweight! While in China, only one quarter of the country is overweight.

Now I will list all the illnesses associated with obesity. Of course it has long been associated with heart disease, diabetes mellitus, cholesterol problems, hypertension, sleep apnea (this is when you quit breathing at night) and heart failure. At any given weight, the risk in both men and women is increased by more abdominal fat.

But did you know that obesity is also associated with increased risk of cancer? Here are some cancers associated with obesity:

stomach and esophageal cancers

kidney and prostate cancers

breast cancer

uterine cancer

colorectal and pancreatic cancers

It is even associated with leukemias and lymphomas!

I’m at loss to why people don’t take this problem as serious as smoking. Recently I asked our hospital kitchen to exchange desserts with fruits. You can’t imagine the negative comments I got from being a dictator to a hater of the American lifestyle! I tried to explain that I cannot dictate on anyone what to eat but I struggle in being a part of a health institution that facilitates bad eating habits.